Two-piece dispensing button

ABSTRACT

A two-piece actuating button suitable for use on pressurized dispensers or in conjunction with pump dispensers is provided with an aperture in the body piece which reveals a portion of the discharge orifice insert piece for visual information purposes. By making the two pieces of contrasting colors, the desired information appears in the aperture in contrasting color thereby eliminating the need for printing.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Gerald D. Jones [56] References Cited West Hill. Ontario, Canada UNITED STATES PATENTS i 22 1969 2,806,739 9/1957 Drell 239/579 x [45] Patented June 22.19." 3,083,872 I 4/1963 Meshberg 222/40217 X [73] Assignce Precision Valve (Canada) Limited FOREIGN PATENTS Ajax. Ontario, Canada l,l6l ,865 6/ l 968 England 239/492 54 TWO-PIECE DISPENSING Burton 6 Claims. 2 Drawing Figs.

[52]- U.S. Cl 239/492,

239/579, 222/569 [5|] Int. Cl B05b 1/34 [50] Field of Search 222/154 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Norman L. Stack, .lr. Attorney-Davis, Hoxie, Faithfull and Hapgood /0 w u if! i i If TWO-PIECE DISPENSING BUTTON Actuating buttons for use on pressurized aerosol dispensers or on pump dispensers are well known. They include internal passages which communicate with a discharge orifice adapted to provide a desired spray, stream, or extrusion of the product. Such actuating buttons are frequently made of two pieces for molding convenience and accuracy. The two pieces comprise a body portion having a finger engaging surface and a valve stem receiving socket or the like to attach the body of the actuator button to the valve or to the pump of the dispenser. The other piece is an insert which includes the discharge orifice and may include portions of the product passage.

In order to advise the user of the direction in which the dispenser orifice is aimed, it has been the practice to provide the body of the actuating button with an arrow or with other indicia by printing such indicia in a contrasting color. It has been found preferable to mold a depression in the body in the shape of the arrow or other indicia and to print the contrasting color on the floor of the depression. This refinement makes the indicia more apparent, prevents the printed color from being rubbed off, and may also provide tactile as well as visual information to the user. It is apparent that the need for printing in a contrasting color requires further steps in the manufacturing process, namely holding the button with the discharge orifice aligned in a known direction and causing a printing die to be pressed against the body. In the more refined version wherein the contrasting color is printed on the floor of a depression, it is apparent that the problems of alignment with respect to the printing die become more critical because the die must enter the depression with great accuracy.

According to the present invention, the visual indicating depression is molded in the form of a shaped aperture which extends sufficiently far into the body piece to reveal the surface of the discharge orifice insert piece. The discharge orifice insert piece may be molded in a color contrasting with the body piece to thereby result in a depression having a floor ofa contrasting color.

Referring now to the drawings;

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in section of an actuating button made in accordance with the present invention and adapted for use with a pressurized dispenser,

FIG. 2 is a top view of the button of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the actuating button of FIGS. 1 and 2.

ln FIG. 1, the body of the actuating button is molded ofa suitable plastic such as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon or the like. The body 10 is provided with a stem receiving socket 12 which is sized to be a friction fit with an upstanding hollow stern on a pressurized aerosol dispenser or pump dispenser. The top ofthe body 10 may be provided with a generally transverse bore in communication with the stem receiving socket and extending through the sidewall of the body 10. Within the bore is a pin 14 coaxial with the bore and integral with the body member 10. A hollow cylindrical insert member including the discharge orifice 22 is frictionally retained within the bore and surrounding the pin 14. The insert member 20 has an end wall including a discharge orifice 22 which is ofa size and configuration suited to the product to be dispensed. A groove 16 in the pin 14 or in the inner wall of the insert 20 extends between the discharge orifice and the stem receiving socket to form a product flow passage. Certain products benefit from providing the flow stream of the product with a swirling motion immediately before the product stream escapes from the discharge orifice. This swirling motion aids in breakup of the product stream into small spray droplets. The swirling motion may be imparted by appropriately shaped guiding surfaces 18 which may be molded as projections on the end face of the pin 14 or may be molded on the inner face of the endwall of the insert 20.

The body 10 is provided with an additional aperture 11 in the upper surface of the body. The aperture 11 may be shaped in the form of an arrow such as is illustrated in FIG. 2 or may be of other shapes. The aperture 11 extends downwardly into the body 10 and intercepts the bore into which the insert 20 is placed. Thus, when the insert 20 is in place, a portion ofit may be seen through the aperture II. By molding the insert in a color which contrasts with the color of the body 10 visibility of the aperture 11 is improved.

Although the most common utility for indicia on an actuating button is to advise the user of the alignment of the discharge orifice with respect to the user, other visual information can be conveyed by appropriately shaping the aperture 11. For example, the aperture can be made in a shape having trademark significance. It may be molded in the form of a letter or number which is related to the contents of the dispenser. It may be molded in the form of a word of instruction such as push' or tilt. The container contents can be identified by using different color buttons or different color inserts which colors are related to the container contents.

lclaim:

1. In a two piece dispensing button comprising a body portion and a cylindrical insert portion including a discharge orifice, the body portion having a bottom adapted to be received in fluid conveying communication with a dispenser container, an annular cylindrical cavity for receiving the cylindrical insert portion, said button including passages for conveying fluid from the container to the discharge orifice, the improvement which comprises providing an aperture in the top of the body portion to expose a portion of the cylindrical surface of the insert portion.

2. The button of claim 1 wherein the bottom of the button is provided with a socket adapted to receive the upstanding valve stem of a pressurized dispenser.

3. The button of claim 1 wherein the aperture in the top of the body portion is configured to a shape having indicia significance.

4. The button of claim 3 wherein the aperture is in the shape of an arrow head.

' 5. The button of claim 1 wherein the body portion and the insert portion are molded from plastic.

6. The button of claim 5 wherein the insert and the body portions are molded in different colors. 

1. In a two piece dispensing button comprising a body portion and a cylindrical insert portion including a discharge orifice, the body portion having a bottom adapted to be received in fluid conveying communication with a dispenser container, an annular cylindrical cavity for receiving the cylindrical insert portion, said button including passages for conveying fluid from the container to the discharge orifice, the improvement which comprises providing an aperture in the top of the body portion to expose a portion of the cylindrical surface of the insert portion.
 2. The button of claim 1 wherein the bottom of the button is provided with a socket adapted to receive the upstanding valve stem of a pressurized dispenser.
 3. The button of claim 1 wherein the aperture in the top of the body portion is configured to a shape having indicia significance.
 4. The button of claim 3 wherein the aperture is in the shape of an arrow head.
 5. The button of claim 1 wherein the body portion and the insert portion are molded from plastic.
 6. The button of claim 5 wherein the insert and the body portions are molded in different colors. 